COMMENTATOR DISCARDS BOTAFOGO AS FLAMENGO'S BIGGEST RIVAL AND SAYS AN 'OLD'

Botafogo is the third team qualified for the Libertadores semi-finals. This Wednesday (25), the Rio team drew 1-1 with São Paulo, at Morumbi. In the first leg, the teams were 0-0, at the Nilton Santos stadium. Therefore, the duel ended in a penalty shootout, with John Textor's club getting the better of the shots.

Now, Botafogo awaits the winner of the duel between Flamengo and Peñarol (URU), who face each other in this Thursday (26), in Montevideo. The semi-finals are scheduled to take place in the weeks of October 23rd on the way out, and 10/30 on the way back. The big decision, in Buenos Aires, will be on November 30th.

THE SEMIFINALS

So, the semifinals will be as follows. Atlético-MG faces River Plate (ARG), going to Minas Gerais and returning to Buenos Aires. Botafogo is waiting for Flamengo or Peñarol. What is defined is that the first duel will take place at Engenhão, with the return at Maracanã or Campeón del Siglo.

To face Botafogo, Flamengo needs a turnaround. As they lost 1-0 at Maracanã, the red and black team needs to reverse in Uruguay, against Peñarol. The ball starts at 7pm (Brasília time).

The Flamengo remains firm in its position of shielding coach Tite, regardless of the result of the next clash against Peñarol in the Libertadores. The club's board of directors has already decided that, even in the case of elimination, there will be no changes in the technical command. The decision is clear: Tite will remain in office, with the expectation of fulfilling his contract until the end, as established since his hiring.

Protection for Tite is nothing new within Flamengo, which has a policy of invest in the continuity of the work of its technicians, avoiding sudden changes based only on immediate results. This stance was reinforced in recent days, when the team faced a series of protests and criticism from fans after some performances below expectations. Even with the external pressure, the board made it clear that it is not considering dismissing the coach, as it believes in the long-term project.

FLAMENGO HAS CRISIS CONTROL

< The match against Peñarol, which will take place in Uruguay, will be decisive for Flamengo's stay in the continental competition. However, internally, the board treats the game as a stage in a larger process, and not as a "watershed" for Tite's future at the club. Confidence in the coach's work is based not only on his experience and past achievements, but also on the conviction that constant changes in technical command are not the solution to the challenges faced by the club.

The decision to bank Tite's continuity, even in the face of possible elimination, is not common in Brazilian football, where the culture of rapid coach changes is predominant. In Flamengo, however, management understands that a solid, long-term project depends on stability in command. This type of stance has already been adopted in previous moments, with other coaches, when the board chose to give time to the work so that results would emerge in the medium and long term.

The first part of the 27th round of the Brazilian Championship ended this Saturday (21), with Fortaleza's 4-1 victory over Bahia, at Arena Castelão. With the result, the team from Ceará rose to second place in the table, while Bahia saw its chances of overtaking opponents being frustrated. Flamengo will play this Sunday (22), against Grêmio.

Fortaleza opened the scoring with Marinho, ex-Flamengo, but Bahia quickly drew with Everaldo. However, the Ceará team went ahead again in the first half, when Marinho scored again in the 37th minute, making it 2-1. In the second half, Pochettino increased the advantage, and Renato Kayzer completed the rout.

< p>Updated classification:

1st Botafogo – 56 points

2nd Fortaleza – 52

3rd Palmeiras – 50

4th Flamengo – 45

5th São Paulo – 44

6th Bahia – 42

7th Cruzeiro – 41

8th International – 38

9th Vasco – 35

10th Atlético-MG – 33

11th Youth – 32

12th Red Bull Bragantino – 31

13th Athletico-PR – 30

14th Grêmio – 28

15th Vitória – 28

16th Criciúma – 28

17th Corinthians – 28

18th Fluminense – 27< /p>

19º Cuiabá – 22

20º Atlético-GO – 18

Saturday's results

At the opening of the round, Corinthians beat bottom team Atlético-GO 3-0, at the Neo Química Arena. At the same time, Vitória defeated Juventude 1-0 at Barradão, in Salvador.

Next, Botafogo beat Fluminense at Maracanã 1-0, with a goal in the final minutes of the second half , increasing its advantage over Flamengo. Finally, in the northeast classic, Fortaleza beat Bahia 4-1, at Arena Castelão.

Next games of the round

This Sunday (22 ), six matches complete the 27th round of the Brasileirão. At 4pm (Brasília time), Vasco and Palmeiras face off at the Mané Garrincha Stadium, in Brasília, while Atlético-MG hosts Red Bull Bragantino in Belo Horizonte.

Later, at 6:30pm, four games will be played: Flamengo visits Grêmio in Porto Alegre, Criciúma and Athletico-PR play in Santa Catarina, Cuiabá and Cruzeiro face each other at Arena Pantanal, and São Paulo hosts Internacional at Morumbi.